1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to reproduction of a handwritten message and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for sequentially reproducing a handwritten message using handwriting data containing position information and time information of the handwritten message.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of various technologies including wired and wireless communication techniques, multimedia techniques, manufacturing techniques for hardware like a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and associated memory, power charging techniques, and so forth, functions of mobile terminals are increasingly emphasized. For example, a mobile terminal conventionally transmits necessary data to a communication partner through voice communication. However, after transmission and reception of a text message become possible, desired data can be transmitted to the partner using a Short Message Service (SMS) including simple text data in a situation where voice communication is not allowed or simple data needs to be transmitted.
The SMS has evolved into a Long Message Service (LMS) for long text data and a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) for multimedia files such as still or moving images, through which users can be provided with various benefits. In particular, the MMS which transmits a multimedia file, unlike the SMS or the LMS which merely transmits text data, has been in increasing demand from users due to extensibility in expression. The following describes a method for transmitting desired data by using the MMS.
Referring to FIG. 1, a user may create a conventional MMS message by inputting desired characters or attaching a desired image to a handwriting recognition region. In an MMS input screen shown in FIG. 1, the handwriting recognition region includes three single recognition regions, in each of which a single character is recognized at a time. Character information desired by the user is input by a finger or an input device such as a stylus pen. By using a file attachment box positioned below a character input window, an image stored in a memory may be retrieved for transmission.
However, conventional MMS transmits data including a previously stored image. When a transmitting side desires to transmit handwriting data by using the MMS, the handwriting data has to be converted into an image file by using a separate program, and then must be stored and transmitted. Since the handwriting data is converted into a still image, information about the time when the user performed the handwriting is not included in the still image.
In other words, when a receiving side receives an image included in the MMS message, the image looks like a single still image and the handwriting data cannot be sequentially reproduced in the same order in which the handwritten data was created. As a result, the handwriting or sensibility of the transmitting side cannot be contemporaneously delivered in a sequential manner, thereby eliminating the feeling of progressive data entry.